Docker Media
Production Company
I Was Actually There, watch now on ABC iview→ → → I Was Actually There, watch now on ABC iview→ → → I Was Actually There, watch now on ABC iview→ → → I Was Actually There, watch now on ABC iview→ → →
I Was Actually There, watch now on ABC iview→ → → I Was Actually There, watch now on ABC iview→ → → I Was Actually There, watch now on ABC iview→ → → I Was Actually There, watch now on ABC iview→ → →
TV Documentary Series

I Was Actually There, Series One

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a fly on the wall, up close and in the room, as iconic moments of history unfold? What if history could be retold, not by the paid polemicists or university historians, but by the people who were there on the day?

I Was Actually There is a bold, new ABC documentary series that explores defining moments of Australia's recent history through the eyes, ears and voices of those who witnessed them firsthand.

Employing the unfiltered and up-close interviewing style that made You Can’t Ask That an international sensation, I Was Actually There uncovers hidden perspectives and never-before-seen footage to create a multi-dimensional, experience-driven picture of the events that shaped Australia. Season one explores what it was like to lie on the floor of the Broad Arrow Cafe in Port Arthur while a mass murderer shot everyone around you. Or how emotional it was to be part of a the high-stakes rescue mission of two miners trapped a kilometre underground in Beaconsfiled. Or the thoughts running through the head of a dad who lost the grip of his teenage son in the raging waters of the Boxing Day tsunami. Watch the series here.

Were you there when Australian history happened?
1
Were at any of these events? Thank you!
Were you at any of these events?:
Tell us more about your experience::
2
Would like to suggest an event or question? Thank you!
What event would you like to see an episode on?:
What would you like to ask someone that was there?:

Release Date:

July 9 2024

Director:

  • Kirk Docker

Series Producers:

  • Josh Schmidt
  • Loni Cooper

Producers:

  • Jess Skinner
  • Pauline Ernesto
  • Liz Kaydos

Cinematographer:

  • Aaron Smith

Line Producer:

  • Megan Nass

Created by:

  • Kirk Docker, Aaron Smith & Jon Casimir
TV Documentary Series

I Was Actually There, Series Three

Employing the unfiltered and up-close interviewing style that made You Can’t Ask That (from the same team) an international hit, I Was Actually There assembles the recollections of witnesses big and small, of people at the core of the action and others standing on the sidelines.

Along with carefully chosen archive footage, much of it unseen or previously overlooked, I Was Actually There weaves conversational fragments into cohesive narratives, bringing intense moments back to life. Each episode reveals new ways of seeing the past, challenging what we think we know.

Ultimately, the series helps viewers see that while history is usually told from specific perspectives, the actual truth of any event is made up of overlapping, individual views. What you saw depends on where you were standing. History is personal.

TV Documentary Series

I Was Actually There, Series Two

What goes through your head when a bushfire of unprecedented scale, a tidal wave of flame, is hurtling towards you?

 How did it feel to watch, from the 92nd floor of the World Trade Centre, the first 9/11 plane hit the building opposite?

What was the mood at Government House on November 11, 1975, moments after the Governor-General had controversially dismissed the Prime Minister?

I Was Actually There is a powerful ABC documentary series that explores defining moments of Australia’s recent history through the eyes, ears and voices of those who experienced them firsthand.

Employing the unfiltered and up-close interviewing style that made You Can’t Ask That (from the same team) an international hit, I Was Actually There assembles the recollections of witnesses big and small, of people at the core of the action and others standing on the sidelines.

Along with carefully chosen archive footage, much of it unseen or previously overlooked, I Was Actually There weaves conversational fragments into cohesive narratives, bringing intense moments back to life. Each episode reveals new ways of seeing the past, challenging what we think we know.

Ultimately, the series helps viewers see that while history is usually told from specific perspectives, the actual truth of any event is made up of overlapping, individual views. What you saw depends on where you were standing. History is personal.

TV Documentary Series

You Can’t Ask That

What would happen if you gave people the chance to ask society’s misunderstood the questions they were too embarrassed, too awkward and too scared to ask? What would happen if those stereotyped minorities were given the right to answer those questions with dignity and depth?

The answer is an exercise in stereotype-busting.  You Can’t Ask That confronts prejudice and discrimination by offering genuine insight into the lives of people who live with labels. The series explores Muslims, ex-prisoners, people living with schizophrenia, fat people, suicide attempt survivors, people with down syndrome, sex workers, bogans, the polyamorous … you get the idea.

You Can’t Ask That is life-affirming, insightful, hilarious and refreshingly inappropriate television. But more importantly, it gives some of the most judged and least understood Australians the chance to be heard.

You Can’t Ask That is Australia's most successful television format, with 42 seasons broadcast across 12 countries in nine languages – including French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, Norwegian, Hebrew and Arabic – a testament to the power and flexibility of the format. To watch the original Australian series click here. To watch outside of Australia click here.

Release Date:

August 2016 to May 2022

Director:

  • Kirk Docker

Cinematographer:

  • Aaron Smith
  • Dave May

Executive Producer:

  • Frances O'Riordan
  • Lou Porter

Producers:

  • Josh Schmidt
  • Loni Cooper
  • Jess Cohen
  • Scott Mitchell
  • Pauline Ernesto

Editors:

  • Nick McDougall
  • Kenny Ang

Composer:

  • Andrew Sampford

Created by:

  • Kirk Docker, Aaron Smith & Jon Casimir